It is well known that the rays of the sun which penetrate open cockpit vehicles can have a deleterious effect not only upon the human operator and occupants of the vehicle but also causes deterioration of interior components of the vehicle that are exposed to those rays. Such harmful effects include exposure to ultraviolet rays and excessive heat. Other areas of consideration in the development of prior art inherent in the open cockpit vehicle include protection from inclement weather, wind, dirt particles, flying objects and insects.
The need for protection from the sun's rays is quite evident; sun shades, screens, covers and enclosures for vehicles are known in the art and exemplary of such prior art structures are those disclosed and cross-referenced above and discussed below. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,889 Monteith, May 2, 1989, discloses a rectangular, water impervious, non-transparent vehicle sun shade which covers the entire vehicle or the passenger compartment of a cab or closed cockpit vehicle or airplane. The shade utilizes elastic cords and plastic coated hooks to secure the shade to the vehicle. However, the shade does not permit operation of the vehicle while the shade is in place. A similar result occurs is the sun shield for automobile disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,310, Wu, Oct. 6, 1998. The sunshades in U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,334, Yadegar, Jun. 9, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,124 , Tseytlin, Jun. 6, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,074, Castellano, Oct. 31, 1989, are positioned behind the windshield of the vehicle and do not permit operation of the vehicle while the sunshade is in place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,998 , Chen, Dec. 9, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,226, Tovar, 5,314,226, disclose a vehicle window sunshade and vehicle sunshield, repectively, which are installed in the window of the vehicle. A common disadvantage of windshield and window related shades or screens is lack of uniformity in windshield and window dimensions. Although Chen discloses a portable, adjustable window sunshade utilizing suction cups, it is utilized while the vehicle is stored or parked. The foregoing references are discussed primarily for informational purposes to illustrate examples of prior art in the areas of sun screens and sun shades, especially in light of the fact they pertain to closed cockpit vehicles.
The shade assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,609, Mills, Jul. 13, 1999, reveals an application for an open cockpit vehicle, such as golf cart, wherein the shade rolls up and down covering the entrances to the passenger compartment. It seems a major disadvantage of this invention would be a flapping movement of the shade while the vehicle is in operation as the edge of the shade faces forward into wind caused from the vehicle's forward motion. Additionally, the shade U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,041, Sullivan, Apr. 21, 1998, discloses a rollup, portable, removable rear cover spanning from the roof of the golf cart and extending over the rear area where the golf bags are stored. The assembly utilizes shock cords, grommets and loops to secure the cover. The upper portion of the cover is composed of transparent plastic, facilitating, rear visibility, and a lower portion composed of woven fabric. Although Sullivan addresses the need to protect the golfing equipment in the rear of the golf cart, the invention would not provide significant protection to the occupants of the vehicle from the sun's rays or inclement weather.
A wide variety of golfcart and vehicle covers has been described in the prior art, as for example, the following:
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 363,265, Althoff, Oct. 17, 1995, is an ornament design for a golf cart cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,235, Seymour et al, May 10, 1994, describes an easily foldable transparent weather-shield which completely surrounds the golf cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,656, L. W. Carroll, Nov. 9, 1993, describes a rolled-up enclosure having roll-up panels and a top panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,967, J. W. Chapman, Sep. 15, 1992, is limited to covers for golf carts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,941, Ross, Sr. et al., Apr. 30, 1991, describes a curtain which extends from the rear of the roof structure and is resiliently secured to the golf bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,205, C. E. Gerber, Jan. 3, 1989, utilizes horizontal upper tracks and vertical lower tracks with a windshield having rollers which slide in the tracks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,859, K. N. Spicher, Nov. 11, 1986, utilizes a pipe frame which holds transparent weather-resistant sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,315, G. L. West, Mar. 22, 1977, describes panels attachable by suction cups and hooks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,037, Thau et al., Mar. 24, 1987, describes a transparent vinyl protective cover for the cab portion of a fork lift truck with rollup door and window panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,118, Welborn, Feb. 28, 1995, discloses a custom fitting closure for golf carts that includes horizontally swinging doors framed by U-shaped members having hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,690, Showalter, Dec. 31, 1996, discloses a double back golf cart enclosure for removable installation about a golf cart or similar vehicle for protecting the occupants from inclement weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,317, Nation, Aug. 4, 1998, discloses a dual paneled golf cart enclosure having a plurality of pairs of inner panels and outer panels, which may be a combination of either mesh and plastic vinyl or plastic vinyl and plastic vinyl some of which are transparent. Either one or both pairs of panels can be secured in a rolled up position around the perimeter of the roof.